Dolores Monseur's Obituary
Dolores Monseur, of Kettering, passed on peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on December 6, 2019. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on July 11, 1955, to Michael and Mary Ann Monseur, “Dee Dee” was preceded in death by her parents and infant sister, Mary Ellen. She leaves her siblings, Michael and Judith Monseur; Mary jo (Kevin) Berlon; Janet (David) Monseur-Durr; David Monseur (Michael Oddo); nieces Christina (Steve) Stropes; Renee Berlon; Allyson (Dave) Richer; and Anna Berlon; nephew David (Amanda) Janning; as well as great-nieces, Sophia Stropes and Abigail Janning; and great-nephews, Benjamin Stropes, Daniel Janning, and Noah and Myles Richer. She is also survived by her aunts Sister Mary Bowman and Jeannette Baron, her uncle Charles Bowman, and many cousins.
A graduate of Centerville High School, Dolores had a long and flourishing career as a pharmacy technician, working in both retail and hospital settings, until her retirement from Good Samaritan Hospital in 2015. She was highly respected in her field by her colleagues. Her own experience with a life-threatening disease at a young age profoundly impacted Dolores, and her gratitude for her restored health was manifested in the empathy she demonstrated to all patients.
Dolores was brilliant and very well-read; she especially enjoyed learning about and sharing the history and cultures of Lebanon and Ukraine, the two countries from which her ancestors emigrated. This fascination led her to learn and become a fluent speaker of the Russian language. Dolores had many interests, including a great knowledge and appreciation of the arts, but spending time with her family was her greatest joy, with birthdays and holidays her favorite occasions to celebrate. Her kindness and compassion were evident in her relationships because Dolores’ genuine concern was always about others, never herself. Family members and her many friends often remarked that Dolores would gladly—and sometimes did--give them her last dollar.
Dolores was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish and its folk group and became one of the first and youngest Eucharistic ministers of the parish. She also was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order at St. Leonard Seminary. Perhaps Dolores’ most valuable legacy lies in the lessons we can learn from her grace and holiness and the reminder that “human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness.”
Life celebration services begin with a St. Francis Prayer Service on Thursday, December 12th at 5:00pm at Conner & Koch Life Celebration Home, 92 W. Franklin St., Bellbrook, continuing with a visitation from 5:30-7:00pm, and a family remembrance service at 7:00pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday December 13th, 10:30am at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 6245 Wilmington Pike, Centerville, with Father Brian Phelps officiating followed by the burial at Calvary Cemetery, Dayton. A reception luncheon will be held at St. Francis of Assisi upon returning from Calvary Cemetery.
You may sign Dolores’ Online Book of Memories or send a condolence to the family at www.ConnerandKoch.com by clicking on her name. The family offers a special thanks to the health professionals at Miami Valley Hospital South Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center and Miami Valley Hospital Intensive Care Unit for the care they provided Dolores and her family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to American Cancer Society, Save the Children, or SISCA Pet Adoption Center. Envelopes are available from the funeral home.
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